Used in research settings as a metabolic intermediate in steroid biosynthesis pathways, particularly in studies related to cholesterol metabolism and enzymatic transformations involving 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 5α-reductase. It serves as a reference compound for identifying and quantifying related steroidal ketones in biological samples. Its structural features make it valuable for investigating the regulation of sterol conversion in endocrinology and metabolic disease models.